Exploding Toilets Prompt Recall

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Roughly 1.4 million Flushmate II 501-B pressure-assisted flushing systems have been recalled because the system can burst at or near the vessel weld seam, shattering the toilet's tank or bursting the lid off the tank, according to a FacilitiesNet article.

The Series 503 Flushmate III had been recalled before — in June 2012, January 2014 and July 2016. The recalls prompted two class action lawsuits, which were settled out of court.

This latest Flushmate recall involves the Flushmate II 501-B and follows 1,446 reports in the United States and seven reports in Canada of bursting units resulting in 23 reported injuries, including one injury leading to foot surgery.

The recalled Flushmate II systems were installed inside toilet tanks between Sept. 3, 1996 and Dec. 7, 2013. The affected toilets were sold through various outlets, include Home Depot, Lowes, Grainger, HD Supply, other distributors and plumbing contractors. The faulty pressure-assisted flushing systems were included in American Standard, Corona, Crane, Kohler and Mansfield toilets.

The recalled units are rounded oval, black, two-piece vessels made of injection-molded plastic. On top, there is a label with a serial number. The first six digits are the date code. Recalled units have serial numbers starting with 090396 through 120713.

Anyone who has purchased a recalled Flushmate II 501-B system should stop using it, according reports from WXTL.

The water supply to the unit should be turned off and the toilet should be flushed to release the internal pressure. Contact Flushmate to request a free replacement unit and installation by a technician.

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